These Ads Calling Hong Kong Protesters "Violent" Are Coming Straight From China
As the Hong Kong protests continue, Chinese state media outlets are hoping paid ads on Facebook and Twitter will shift the narrative online.
Ryan Mac
Facebook Is Getting Rid Of The Option To Make Groups "Secret" Or "Closed"
Instead, users will have two options: public or private.
Ryan Broderick
Jeremy Corbyn Is The Social Media King That Boris Johnson Is Yet To Match
Boris Johnson has a long way to go to match the size and engagement of his rival’s online support base, a news analysis for BuzzFeed News reveals.
Alex Spence
I Love Facebook’s Video Chatting Device Because I’m Drunk On Dumb Bitch Juice
I set up the critically reviled device in the BuzzFeed office and every one was utterly, truly delighted with it.
Katie Notopoulos
YouTube Continues To Promote Anti-Vax Videos As Facebook Prepares To Fight Medical Misinformation
While Facebook vows to stop recommending anti-vaccination content to users, YouTube is still promoting videos like “You’ll Be Glad You Watched This Before Vaccinating Your Child!”
Caroline O'Donovan
Humans Have Always Been Listening To Your Voice Recordings. Why Don’t Tech Companies Just Tell Us That?
Recent revelations could finally force tech giants to explain how they use our data.
Nicole Nguyen
The Husband Of An El Paso Victim Got An Overwhelming Response After Inviting "Everyone" To Attend His Wife's Funeral
"She was my world," Antonio Basco said. Learning that so many people want to come and honor her, he added, "makes me feel wonderful."
Brianna Sacks
The Philippines Was A Test Of Facebook’s New Approach To Countering Disinformation. Things Got Worse.
Disinformation campaigns in the Philippines ahead of its 2016 election offered a preview of things to come to the United States. History may be repeating itself in 2020.
Craig Silverman
WhatsApp Is Fighting To Keep Millions Of Users Untraceable
WhatsApp is “a space for private conversations online.” An Indian court could make it public.
Pranav Dixit
Baby Boomers Can’t Stop Sharing Photos Of Their Grandkids. Millennial Parents Aren’t Happy.
Parents who choose not to post photos of their kids on social media struggle when Facebook-happy older relatives break the rules.
Katie Notopoulos
Victims Of Mass Shootings Have Struggled To Hold Larger Forces Responsible In Court After An Attack
While victims of international terrorism can hold terrorist groups accountable in court, the legal path is less clear in cases of domestic terrorism.
Zoe Tillman
A Christian Satire Site Says Fact-Checkers Are Helping Facebook De-Platform Conservatives
“By lumping us in with fake news and questioning whether we really qualify as satire, Snopes appears to be actively engaged in an effort to discredit and deplatform us.”
Ryan Broderick
WhatsApp Is Now Letting Users Know When A Message Has Been Forwarded Too Many Times
The new feature is part of WhatsApp's efforts to curb how misinformation spreads on its platform.
Pranav Dixit
Opinion: To Save Journalism, Break Up Silicon Valley
Donald Trump makes no secret of his hatred for journalists, but his administration's investigation into the power of Big Tech is long overdue.
John Stanton
The Man Who Built The Retweet: “We Handed A Loaded Weapon To 4-Year-Olds”
The button that ruined the internet — and how to fix it.
Alex Kantrowitz
Opinion: Silicon Valley Is Giving Big Bucks To Mayor Pete
His persona fits neatly with Silicon Valley’s own political identity: outwardly progressive, but without much evident anger at the new American oligarchy.
Jeff Hauser
These Tech Companies Are Giving Millions To Politicians Who Vote Against LGBTQ People
A group of 30 advocates sent a letter Wednesday to dozens of companies, including Amazon and Google, calling on them to stop giving money to politicians who discriminate.
Leticia Miranda
Cops Across The US Have Been Exposed Posting Racist And Violent Things On Facebook. Here's The Proof.
A review of the Facebook accounts of thousands of officers around the US — the largest database of its kind — found officers endorsing violence against Muslims, women, and criminal defendants.
Emily Hoerner
Two Louisiana Police Officers Were Fired Over A Facebook Post Suggesting AOC Should Be Shot
"this vile idiot needs a round....and I don't mean the kind she used to serve," an officer wrote on Facebook about Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
Brianna Sacks
This Wedding Party Got Photobombed By "Scooter Girl" And They Loved Every Second Of It
After the shoot, the photographer went on a hunt to find the amazing photobomber.
Lauren Strapagiel
We Found The Pseudonymous Man Behind One Of The Oldest Conservative News Outlets Online
“That’s all proprietary.”
Craig Silverman
Facebook Will Now Show You How To Opt Out Of Targeted Ads
The new tool tells you how an ad was targeted and which third-party agency or data broker was used. It also links to pages to opt out.
Katie Notopoulos
Facebook And Instagram Are Showing People Strange AI-Generated Descriptions Of Their Photos
"Image may contain: 1 person, smiling, closeup and indoor."
Ryan Broderick
How Millennials Became The Burnout Generation
I couldn’t figure out why small, straightforward tasks on my to-do list felt so impossible. The answer is both more complex and far simpler than I expected.
Anne Helen Petersen
Facebook Turned Off Search Features Used To Catch War Criminals, Child Predators, And Other Bad Actors
The changes by Facebook are “a potential disaster for the human rights and war crimes community.”
Craig Silverman
Facebook Failed To Delete 93% Of Posts Containing Speech Violating Its Own Rules In India
A yearlong study concluded that Facebook had made little progress in moderating non-English-language content in India, the company’s largest market by users.
Megha Rajagopalan
AOC: Facial Recognition Is Growing Amid "A Global Rise In Authoritarianism And Fascism”
Ocasio-Cortez expressed concerns after a House Oversight Committee hearing on facial recognition Wednesday.
Davey Alba
Sign Up For Tech Giant Update — A Newsletter On Amazon, Google, Facebook, And Apple
BuzzFeed News senior technology reporter Alex Kantrowitz digs into the latest news, strategy, and inner workings of the Gang of Four.
Alex Kantrowitz
Not Your Daddy’s Regulation: Tech Giants Face A Complicated Reckoning In Washington
Old rules and moving targets create new challenges for regulators and Congress.
Alex Kantrowitz
"Sign In With Apple" Hides Your Login Data From Facebook And Google
A slew of new features across Apple products offer privacy-focused alternatives to popular services like Facebook sign-in and Google Maps.
Nicole Nguyen
